Church Planter

I realized this weekend that many of you know this already, but not everyone does. Mike and I will be getting married in July, and then we will be moving to McKinney to begin the process of planting a church. We have known for awhile that this was the Lord's calling on our lives, but we needed to wait on His timing in communicating that to everyone. So yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to be a pastor's wife :)

It still amazes me to think of the journey the Lord has had me on in the last couple of years. Because 2 years ago, if you had told me I would be marrying a pastor and beginning steps to plant a church, I would have thought you were crazy. "Me? Ha! You obviously don't know me that well. I'm certainly not qualified for that! Surely, more godly (and nicer) people are called to that..." It's funny how God seems to a)change your perspective, b)find purpose (and humor) in taking you completely outside of your comfort zone, and c)radically change your heart. Don't misunderstand me, I don't think I am more qualified today than I was 2 years ago. I am humbly dumbfounded that the Lord would want to use me in this way. But I do know how He has worked in my heart and how He has reminded me that it's not about me or my qualifications. It's about being obedient to the calling He has placed on our lives. It's about seeking to do His will and conforming my heart to the image of His Son. It's about reading through His Word and recognizing our call as Christ-followers to love our neighbors, share the gospel, and make our lives count for His kingdom, all to His glory. Mike and I just get to do that through a church plant :)

I don't have a lot of details yet; this is certainly something we are learning and praying our way through. I can't tell you what it will look like and how we will get there. We know it won't be easy. We know it won't be popular. We know that some will call us crazy :) There's a part of me that is excited to see what the Lord will accomplish and be a part of His work in this way, and there's also a part of me that is absolutely terrified of the unknown. And yet, when I think back over the times the Lord has asked me to do seemingly difficult or scary things, He has always provided, always shown His power, and always drawn me closer to His heart.

I am really looking forward to this upcoming conference:

I think this will be a good opportunity for me to have some questions answered and see more of the process and next steps. If you think about it, you can be praying for me and Mike this week as we attend this conference, as well as in the coming months. We recognize that we cannot do this on our own, and we are learning what it looks like to walk in faithful dependence on Christ. So your prayers are coveted. We are working on a blog that will be a central place for us to communicate our plans and update everyone on our ministry, so once we have that ready, I will be sure to share that with you.

I stand in humility before my Creator and pray that He will use me in spite of myself. I pray that He will give me the strength to be faithful and obedient. This is certainly a turning point in my journey...and I cannot wait to walk the next steps :)